Card index



Feb. 23, 1932. E. c. WALTER 1,846,662.

CARD INDEX Filed March 13. 1925 S'Sheets-Sheet l Feb. 23, 1932. E. c. WALTER 1,846,662

\ CARD INDEX Filed March 13, 1925 I5 Sheets-Sheet 2 [aw/warm Feb. 23, 1932. E. cv WALTER 1,846,652

CARD INDEX Filed March 15, 1925 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 g1 gvwmdoz Java/256%;

Patented Feb. '23, 1932 uNITEoYsrArEs PATENT OFF CE,

EDWARD c. WALTER, or HARRISBURG, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR 'ro nnmorr-risnnn I COMPANY ,,0E NEW YORK, N. Y., A conrona'rron or DELAWARE I .cARn INDEX.

Application filed March 1a,,1925." Serial No. 15,404.

This invention relates to card index sysi tems ofthe type in which card holders,

. carrying-index cards, are nested in a tray in Whichthey are hinged in uch a way that 'while great economy of-space may be secured with onlya title margin of exposed, any card maybe fully exposed for the cards the entry or reception of data'by, swinging the adjacent card, or'ocards, away from the produce a'system of this character, possessing all of the usual advantages but capable, of presenting each .card when I desired in an elevated writing-planewhere in addition,

itmay be held in asubstantially horizonis :tal positionon a posting board or platen, to facilitate the entry thereon oftypewritten "or other postings. 11 I P Inithe; accompanying drawings: Figure'l is a sectional view of my inde device, arranged for use i in connection with a flat platen typewriten U Figure 2 is plan view of the same.

Figure3 is a longitudinal section through the subject matter ofFigureQ. 3

Figured is a perspective viewof one of the indexmembers. I

Figure 5 is a similar view showing the manner in which the double hinge is utilized to present the record portion of the device in a posting plane, d fferent from thestorage plane, and 7.

Figures 6 are detailed views oiithe "platen and traysupporting brackets.-

Referring first to the indeX'system, l in-' 1 dica'tes tray of usual form, having at oppothe record directly,

-@ celluloid ,or'

,site sides ofits bottom longitudinal guides or ways2, for the retainingitabe of index devices l. ,These index devices include a card-holding portion 5, a retaining portion 6, and anint'erinediate hinged connection portion 5 may carry portion 7. The index but usuallyserves for theretention of an. index card 8, held in place by any suitable means, as, for instance, any other margin strips 9,- 8X".

W tending across the free :edge of the holder,

and corner strips?10, produced by forming diagonal slits 111i in the holder. The retaintion 6 of the device.

cord devices lie in their ing tabs 3 may be formed integral'with'the The intermediate or hingedconnecting por tion 7 of the index device is connected along its opposite edges by hinges 15 and 16, with the record portion 5 andthe retaining-por- As these portions or elements of the record device are preferably integral, being formed from asi-nglepiece of cardboard or. other similar material, the

hinges in the illustrated embodiment ofthe inventionare produced by forming weaken ing lines in the material, as, for instance," rows of apertures 17, so that'while the in dividual record. devices ordinarily lie flat in I a slightly'inclincd storage plane, the lower hinge 16 will permit the device to be thrown forward or back in the tray in the usual manner, or, allow the lntermediate portion 7 tostandvertically with the record portion '5 swung onthe'hinge 15 toa horizontal position, in a somewhatelevated posting plane.

The, several "positions which the device is capable of assuming in the tray are clearly shown'in Figure 8, wherein some of the re- 7 normal storage position, others are thrown back andone is in position for posting. 'VVhen in the posting position the record portion ofthe device is intended to be supported a postingboard or platen 18,- which may be supported by the tray and removable from *the posting position to facilitate the handling ot the record devices in thetray, or as in the illustrated showingit maybe the platen of a typewriter.

p While the structure thus far described constitutes a complete embodiment of the invention in certain aspectsthereof, Iha've devised certain novel structures designed to facilitate the posting of these card index records by a flat platen typewriter. y In Figure .1 is diagrammatically shown the portion 6 by staples or other ordinary Elliott-Fisher typewriter of commerce 19, the printing head of which is transversely movable for letter spacing on a linespace frame 20, movable longitudinally of a platen frame 21, to line space the matter printed.

For the purpose of the present disclosure it is unnecessary to illustrate or describe the manner in which the line-space frame 20 is constructed and operated. Sufiice it to say that it is equipped with supporting rolls as shown in dotted lines at 22, and with linespacing mechanism permitting it to be moved rearwardly to clear the platen as is well understood in this art. I

\Vithin the platen frame '21 are mounted brachets23 and 2%,arranged in pairs at opposite sides thereof. h Iounted to swing on a shaft -'or pintle 23, extended between the bracket 23, is a flat platen 25, preferably having a hard rubber or other facing 26 as 'usual, and supported at its free side or end by rubber or-other suitable cushions 27, carriedbythe brackets 24L. The platen 1:8, when iniits depressed position, overlies the tray 1 which is supported by rolls 28 mounted on shafts 29, the ends of which are extended through ears 30 formed on the brackets 28 and24. For the purpose of accurately guiding the tray 1 in its movement on its suppontingrolls 2S, guide rollers '31 engage opposite sides of the'tray and are carried by transverse frame members 32. It will now 'b'e-seen that when the index devices are :arranged in the tray 1, as shown in Figure 3, the latter may be placed in the machine for'the posting of the records. The platen '26 being swung up on its pintle 23k'th'e line space frame 20, of course, having first been moved to clear the platen, the record device which it is desired to post, is swung upward from the tray with the hinge '16 as an axis. The platen is then swun down to its horizontal position and the record portion 5 of the index device is swung down upon the platen from the hinge 1'5 an axis. The parts will now occupy the position shown in Figure 3 and the printing mechanism may now be moved to a position over the platen forthe posting of the record, either on the card 8 or on the record portion of the device itself.

It should be understood in this connection, that in using the term, index device, I intend to cover the structures shown in Figures 3 and 4:, either with or without the card. A card, when in position, becomes a part of the index device, but it is obvious that, but

for the consideration of economy, the removable writing surface or card might be eliminated. Also, it is obvious that while my index system is shown in use in connection with the flat platen of a typewriting machine, it is immaterial, in cer ain aspects of the invention, how the record is posted. Ob-

said section of the platen 18 may be considered merely as a posting board and instead of having independent supports, might, if desired, be supported by the tray. It is preferable, however, in any case to extend the posting board or platen, beyond the sides of the tray to form an arm rest.

\Vhat I claim is 1. In a machine of the character described,

viously,

"the combination with a frame, and supporting and guiding rolls, of an open top tray removably supported by said rolls and movable lengthwise thereon, a series of index cards stored in the tray and overlapping lengthwise thereof, means for securing one edge portion 'of'th'e cards adjacent the bottom 'of the tray,'the opposite edge portions :ofthe cards being movableltoia:positionabove the tray, and a'platen mounte'd'above the tray and extending transversely thereof .to receive the movable edge portion of a card, said platen being hinged to be :swungfrom over the tray to facilitate removal :of the latter-from said guiding rolls.

2. The combination with aframe andsupporting and guidingrolls thereon, of an open top "tray removably supported by said rolls an'dlengthwi-se movable thereon,:a series of index'ca'rds adapted to be stored in the tray and having an edge portion secured adjacent the "bottom of the tray, each card being hinged'near itssecured edge portion and including a section movable to a horizontal plane above the side walls off-the tray, and a flat platenoverlying thetray to receive the card, the platen being hinged to the frame for movement to or from its overlying position.

3. A card index, including a tray, a series of overlapping cards mounted in the tray with their edges exposed to facilitate selection, each of said cards including three connected sections, to-wit, aposting section on which the record is to be posted, a retaining section engaging the tray to retain the card therein and an intermediate swinging section oppositely hinged to'the retaining sec tion and to the posting section, whereby'the card may lie flat in the tray, or be lifted out of the tray for posting with the intermediate card section swung to a vertical position and the posting section occupying an elevated horizontal position, and means for supporting the posting section during the posting operation.

4. In a card index posting machine, a support, an open top tray and an overlying flat platen mounted on the support in individual planes, respectively, and a series of overlapping cards in the tray, each including, a stationary marginal retaining section, a posting section, and spaced oppositely acting hinges adjacent the retaining section whereby the posting portion of the card may be raised from the tray to be positioned upon the platen and used for posting operations.

5. An index card for use with a posting tray, said card including at least three sections one of which is provided with devices for securing it adjacent the bottom of the tray, said sections being hinged together to fold one over another in the tray or to locate a section of the card above the tray in hori zontal position for the writing of a posting thereon.

6. In a card index posting machine, a support, an open top tray and a superposed flat platen mounted on the support and one movable in a plane parallel to the plane of the other, a series of overlapping cards each having a relatively narrow section hinged adjacent the bottom of the tray to swing from a horizontal to a vertical position, and a relatively Wide posting section hinged to the a swinging section to assume a horizontal position on the platen when said swinging section is swung to a vertical position, said swinging section correspondng in width substantially to the distance between the bottom of the tray and the printing plane of the platen.

7. A card index, including a series of overlapping cards having respectively, a posting section on which the record is adapted to be posted, a narrow retaining section, and an intermediate section oppositely hinged to the posting and retaining sections of the card whereby the card may assume a flat horizontal position or a position in which the posting and retaining sections will extend in opposite directions from the intermedate section and in parallel planes, and a tray adapted to hold said retaining section of the cards.

8. A card for card indexes including, a relatively large section on which the record is adapted to be posted, a narrow retaining section extending beyond the side edges of the posting section, and an intermediate section oppositely hinged to the posting and retaining sections whereby the card may assume a flat horizontal position or a position in which the posting and retaining sections will extend in opposite directions from the intermediate section, in right-angular relation thereto and in parallel planes.

In testimony whereof I hereunto affix my signature.

EDWARD C. WALTER. 

